A program that helped boost Advanced Placement test scores at Bacon Academy is falling victim to a lack of funding.

Project Opening Doors informed school officials in late March that it would be “completing its relationship” with the Colchester high school at the end of the current school year, one year earlier than the grant program was scheduled to end.

A lack of new funding was the reason for the termination of the program, Project Opening Doors President Cam Vautour said.

“I regret the fact that funding was not found to complete the final year of the grant with Bacon Academy,” Vautour said.

Project Opening Doors is a National Math and Science Initiative program aimed at increasing the number of students doing rigorous course work in math, science and English.

Colchester was one of 12 Connecticut communities selected in 2009 to participate in the competitive program.

With funding from the Connecticut Business and Industry Association, Colchester received grant funds to support teacher training, AP exam fees, equipment and incentives.

As part of the program, students and teachers received $100 for every score above 3 (on a scale of 1 to 5) on Advanced Placement math and science exams. It’s a method some, like Lynn Coletta, a parent of a Bacon sophomore, disagree with.

“Paying kids and teachers to pass a test isn’t how we should be educating,” she said.

The program expended $293,201 on behalf of Bacon Academy, Vautour said.

In November, 138 students were recognized by Project Opening Doors for achieving goals in math, English or science.

Superintendent of Schools Jeffry Mathieu said at the time that Colchester was one of just 26 school districts in Connecticut and 539 in the United States and Canada to make the College Board’s annual AP District Honor Roll.

In 2008, Bacon had a total of 71 test-takers in AP, Mathieu said. The number increased to 333 in 2012.

“When we entered our agreement with Project Opening Doors, our hope was not only to increase the math, science and English scores, but also change the academic culture at Bacon Academy,” Mathieu said.